Our Mission:

Graduation.

We Make an Impact on the Lives of College Women

WHO WE ARE

Sampaguita Group is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization committed to promoting education and funding partial scholarships for Filipino American women attending colleges and universities in the United States.

The call to establish the organization was borne after a report in the Harvard Asian American Policy Review described the challenges of many second-generation Filipino American students struggling to complete a college education. The report cites various studies which identified Educational Downward Mobility — a phenomenon which, among Asian American groups, uniquely affects U.S.-born Filipino Americans.

Census data reveals that, despite having “home” advantages such as being born in the United States, mastering the English language, and immersion in American culture, U.S.-born Filipino Americans lag behind their immigrant Filipino American counterparts, when it comes to succeeding in college.

This discrepancy has been attributed to a number of issues including socioeconomic challenges. Furthermore, because of cultural biases that exist within some families, some daughters may be experiencing fewer opportunities to attend college than their brothers; thus our scholarship focus in women.

By investing in higher education, Sampaguita Group hopes to increase the number of Filipino American women college graduates and their opportunities for lifelong success.

Our Community Partners

Our partners include the institutions which nominate students for scholarship consideration. These include students organizations such as Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority (UIC), Asian American Association (University of Missouri-Columbia), Asian American Pacific Coalition (Illinois State University), Bayanihan Student Organization (Marquette University), KAPWA (Loyola University), Midwest Association of Filipino Americans (MAFA), and FIA (University of Illinois-Chicago) whose annual Battle of the Bamboo cultural dance competition we’ve sponsored. Our partners have also included community organizations such as the Aklan Association of New Jersey, BIBBAK Illinois, Bicol USA of the Midwest, Chicago Nightingales, Philippine Art Foundation, Philippine Engineers and Scientists (PESO), Pilipinas Student Association (PSA) of Ohio State University, and StepUp. If not for these partners, and the thousands of individuals who support us by donating scholarships and attending our events, we would be unable to accomplish our mission.